How to Bet The 2022 French Open First Round (Getting Creative to back Novak Djokovic)
The French Open is here and BetSided has you covered on every front. One of the more interesting things about this year’s open is the odds standings. On both the men’s and women’s side, there is a clear upper tier of competitors. Once we get past that tier, the odds drop significantly.
On one side, it creates instant dark horses that would otherwise be solid picks to win it all. However, it makes the market for betting on the favorites extremely small.
Odds to Win Men’s French Open
- Novak Djokovic: +160
- Carlos Alcaraz: +300
- Stefanos Tsitsipas: +400
- Rafael Nadal: +500
- Alexander Zverev: +2800
Odds to Win Women’s French Open
- Iga Swiatek: -130
- Simona Halep: +675
- Ons Jabeur: +1200
- Paula Badosa: +3000
- Aryna Sabalenka: +3500
Many of the favorites are massive favorites in the first round, with many of them at least -2000 or shorter on the moneyline. We understood that was going to be the case coming into the tournament though. So let’s figure out how to get value on the favorites in the early rounds of the French Open.
French Open Betting Strategy
The first round of the French Open is not the time to bet on the heavy favorites’ moneylines. They have no value unless you are dropping a glutenous amount of money. However, if you want to bet on your Novak Djokovic’s and Rafael Nadal’s, you have to do so with the over/under on games.
Right now, even the set line for Djokovic to win in straight sets is set at -450. There’s no value there. Yet, the game total for 26.5 games is a pick’em at -110. That is where you make a living on Djokovic and the other favorites. Asking for the under on 26.5 games would be asking for three sets of 6-3 or less. If you think he – and other top players – will be dominant, this is the way to go.
Once we get to the Round of 16 and on, that is when the set score and moneyline become a viable option. Until then, stick to the game lines.
You can find Donnavan Smoot’s full betting record here.